Pop, fizz, bang.

For all those who were wishing that the teacher would put a bigger piece of sodium in the water bath in the science lesson demostration. Scroll down to end to find the videos.

Thanks to the Grauniad’s? Bad Science column

Rock, ruins and wind – part 1

Hmm, missing camping in Devon…..

Last week we went camping in Devon, the reasonfor it being Devon in August (having lived that for a few years withguesthouse owning parents, i’ve no need to relive it) was that Helenwas making visit to torbay hospital re the job there.

Edited highlights:

Left Friday afternoon, heading for Helen’s sisters. Enthusiasticallywelcomed by nephew M and his sister E. Stayed there until the Sundaymorning. Usual stuff really, kids did lots of playing, parenst did lotsof sitting drinking tea etc. Key activities were playing in the paddling pools, playing with Thunderbirds Tracey Island, football, lazying around a bit watching TV. Grandad popped in for a bit. SB and M love seeing each other nad mostly managed to play without arguments. As BB gets older her and E are able now to play together a bit. A nice little interlude and broke the journey down to Devon

Sunday morning saw us on the road by 8.20 am – i’m always surprised when we actually manage to get going early ;-). Sunday morning and and early start made for a nice run down, a picnic lunch midway, we didn’t hit any traffic until tootling around the back of Torbay, so got to the campsite in good time, to pitch camp and have a relaxed afternoon on the site. Almost literally the moment we had arrived (we hadn’t even all got out of the car) the 6 yo girl F from the neighbouring tents appeared so SB was off playing straight away. They were great play mate all the time we were there.

So lazed about, brewed up, went to the playground, took a late evening trip down to a local beach, where SB and Helen got carried away paddling, and SB set the tone for the trip by climbing up any rocks she could find.

Time to do something this morning, as we are going round to parents in? bit as my brother is over from Ireland with his youngest son? – so will post this bit now. Tune in later….

Clean girls

We’ve been away for the last week, mostl;y camping in Devon, via Helen’s Sisters and Two Red Boots. Got back last night about 9.30 or so, so somewhat tired. BB did wake up at 5.45am :-( , but did go back to sleep, so got to snooze on to about 8.30, so that was a bit better :-( (actually probbaly the best nights sleep for ages actually as we were in bed before 12.)

First job this morning (after drinking tea….) was to bath the girls to get them all clean.
Had fun, lots of photos to Flickr, hopefully one of us will blog more about it later, right now, SB is demanding that we do something crafty

thanks for texts and emails

Although having a wobble is a bit frowned on, I am definitely having one. However have rewritten cv, and posted 10 copies and application off to a place near Sarah – they have received around 40 so far…

lovely day with girls and my Mum today

Family news of the week.

Ok, no one knows them, and they don’t (!) have a blog (AFAIK), but some exciting news this week from my cousin Catherine and her husband Tim (SB was a bridesmaid at their wedding
last year).

Found out the other day that they are having a baby (due Jan 2007) – wooo!! I am really pleased for them as Catherine is 2 years younger than me and so at the age were you don’t take such things for granted anymore (not that soem of us have anyway) Her Mujm and Dad will be excited I think as there was no sign of children from their son either so they amust ahve been giving up hope of grandchildren.

Pondering something than the other usual presents for them – what about paying for? Flickr account :-)

Romp through the week.

Well, I am at work, and there is a hiatus until I am actually required.

So, CHEF sprts day on Tuesday was good. The children really enjoyed it, and we met Amanda in the flesh, who has already blogged the sports day, and also Katy and children [do you like links or not Katy/Bob?]. I was feeling rough as had been on call, got migraine and obviously not at my best mood-wise anyway. however, the children had such a blast, the sports day was really good? with egg and spoon, sack race, and lots of team races. SB was convinced she had won every race [OK, she said winned!]. BB carried on on escapologist front, and raided everyone’s fruit. We cooled off afterwards in the pools. SB ran around with her friends, and BB took the oportunity to float and investigate getting about in the water. I chatted with Katy in the shade with our toes in the water – bliss. Probably the best place to be on such a warm day. More photos on the flickr set

actually realised?I had saved this not posted, and noticed chris has done it too!Still at work, so will continue! Actually have done a lot of playing with SB and BB in the evenings, and read lots of books. I love BB’s surprised face!

BB is saying lots of words now, and trying really hard to copy lots of words. particular skill at words like biscuit and flapjack are noted! She loves manipulating lego – and also the wacky wigglers – getting things to fit together and pull apart, and can work out how to make it join. Lots of dancing and singing too. Dheloves playing with SB, and always tries to get a lookin. still adamantly breastfed!

SB and I have also read lots of books – about egyptians, space, why is series, greek myths and legends?and general reading books. Our caterpillar life cycle experiment is doing well, with the cabbage white caterpillars hatching out – hopefully chris today has found a better container, and less pongy brassica leaves! We made a mean gears wacky wiggler, with SB designing it, and me helping when required [and BB deconstructing too!], chatted in the thunderstorm outside [sorry Merry] about thunder and lightening, how it works, where not to be when it strikes, electrical conductance etc etc. We have also done a lot of dressing up play – pricesses, pirates and doctors and generally had fun. She has also been very proud of the match and sort she has done this week and the jump ahead year 1. When we chat, she does have a good memory of many snippets of info – all I could ask for really.

Sadly I have beena t work since 5am, but hoping to go home soon! [though still on call]

Sports Day

On Wednesday we had a sports day with a local Home Ed group. nothing to dramatic, so little team races -run back and forth, doing stuff like squats and sit ups, sacks race, egg and spoon, tug of war, daft dressing up race etc. didn’t have to run too far, so although it was very hot (supposed to be around 35- 36 a bit later) we had lots of shade from big trees and there was a nice little breeze to cool us down a bit. Races were followed by a picnic. it was great fun anjoyed by kids and grownups a like. I recommend it to any local groups. afterwards we cooled off by the paddling pools.

Really, Flickr tells the story better than words.

Worst part of the day was driving 40 mins home in the hot humid late afternoon in car in which the aircon isn’t working -esp. if you are a Mum with persistent migraine :-( Much flaking out once we got home


surprised face


surprised face

Originally uploaded by Scrumbledelicious.

rofl!!

As if by magic

As if by magic, Butterbean appeared in our bedroom at about 7 this morning. I guess that means she can open her bedroom door now. (I sometimes leave her on the bed, rather than put her in her cot).

Rainforest Day

On Monday w had a rainforest theme day at a local Home Ed group.?
We had a few of the usual crafty activities, making tissue paper flowers,
a paper ‘palm’? tree, and most of us had painted large ‘Rainforest
pictures to decorate one end of the hall. But the main focus of the day
was a Rainforest ‘puppet’ show. Basically a women talking about
different aspects of the rainforest aided and abetted by various
puppets/a soft toys. It was very good, SB was regaling the ‘library
ladies’ and Nanna and Grandad yesterday, with tales of the Sloth which
only comes? down once a week for? poo, and of the moths that live on
the sloth and lay eggs in the poo, and the larva that then eat the poo :)

BB had? a bit of a paddy, she found the ‘Rainforest lady’s’ orange behind the? stand and started to try and eat it. I took it off her, at which point she had a great screaming fit about it (all my food was in their main hall and I was up the front with BB? the day was saved by another parent (thanks M) passing another orange forward for BB to eat. BB caused general amusement with her scavenging techniques, wandering around with something else she had managed to find to eat.

?

After that we had? a rather fruity lunch, we obviously?? couldn’t think of many vegetables that come from the rainforest :)

Came home via a car shop for oil etc. for the car SB saw some Hotwheels cars at the checkout and bemoaned her lack of toy cars,? realised that without trying? that is one area where we have ended up sticking to stereotypes? lots of dollies, not really any cars, which does seem a bit remiss. Went looking for a replacement paddling pool for the old one, of course shops are mostly empty of them with all the sunny weather lately. By the time we had got back home driving in the heat, dad and kids were flagging somewhat so cold drinks and flopping in the cool were in order. Then SB did some of a Physics kit we got passed onto us today (thanks R) by another family. It’s aged 10+ and has quite? a few fiddly bits, so definitely something to do together. But SB loves anything like that? ISTR that Helen and her did some things about air pressure/water and some balancing stuff

Tuesday was last? library story time? last one until the Autumn, so that is those regular things out of the way. Not many there, us and another family,? but by 1030 it was already pretty hot so maybe they we all staying indoors. Quite amusing really, as SB is by far the oldest in the group , obviously most of her age are in school, and? the 3 groups seem to be mostly in playgroup I think. But she seems to enjoy going, and we’d go to the library once a week anyway and BB will probably get to enjoy it more, at the moment she mostly potters around looking at the other books. She absolutely loves the ‘That’s not my…’ series and shouted endlessly when she saw the ‘That’s not my Monster’ one? so we took than one out. BB loves her books now, she is often pulling one off the shelf to bring you to read, or just to look at herself.

Prised SB away from? gluing and sticking and came home to await the arrival of my mum and Dad. SB did loads of a sticker maths books she found both before and after their arrival. The stickering bit was easy, but the additional math questions in it were a bit more of? a challenge some of them. She did well on working out different missing number number sequences, a bit more multiplication and some measuring that I remember. Some general playing with N&G, reading of books etc.

Me and SB watched a bit of an Asterix cartoon on the TV, I quite enjoyed that, used to like Asterix when I was a kid. quite? a lot of scope for talk about Romans and Gauls and gladiators and stuff. Then while cooked some flapjack, SB got? the Physics kit out again to try and do? bit with Nanna,? but it’s not quite her thing and of course SB wanted to do the fiddliest things? like making an electric motor, they did settle down to do a little bit with magnets though until mummy came home earlier than expected.? some what hot and bothered having had to drive 1 1/2 each way to give a talk? so much administerings of cold drinks.

Nanna and Grandad were treating us to a takeaway? it was decided on? a Chinese, orders were listed, including SB’s request for more noddles and crispy seaweed, only to then notice that they were closed on Tuesdays. At which point hot/tired/hungry SB had a total meltdown about this.? Eventually she calmed down again and an Indian was ordered from across the? road which she enjoyed. Another evening though when both SB and BB, but mostly BB took? while to get to sleep? maybe it’s the heat?

Ahh, a proper blog, and some HE that’s better.

Will Flickr and add maybe some piccies later, right now need to get organised to go out
?to the same groups ‘Sports Day’? lost of daft things like Egg ans spoon, sack races etc. But being in the park from 11 to 1 on what could be the hottest day of the year is maybe not the best plan. We have coolbox full of chillded water and will go equipped with gazebos.